GameCenter final: UND 5, Denver 2
Jan. 26—GRAND FORKS — UND became the first team to hold Denver to under three goals in a game this season in a 5-2 Fighting Hawks win over the Pioneers in Ralph Engelstad Arena. Dylan James and Griffin Ness scored at even strength. Jackson Blake scored on the power play. Cameron Berg and Ben Strinden iced it with empty-netters.
First star: Jackson Blake, UND, 1 goal, 2 points.
Second star: Griffin Ness, UND, 1 goal.
Third star: Jake Livanavage, UND, 1 assist.
No scoring.
UND 1, Denver 0 — Dylan James 5 (Jackson Blake) 5:12. UND converts a two-on-one rush to take the game's first lead. Blake starts it by blocking a pass to create a turnover. Blake carries the puck up the right side and attempts to deke the goalie, but Matt Davis stays with him. Blake goes below the goal line and flips the puck back into the crease, where James crashes and puts it away for his fifth of the season.
UND 2, Denver 0 — Griffin Ness 3 (Louis Jamernik V, Keaton Pehrson) 11:41. Ness scores for the second-straight home game. At the end of a good shift by his line, Jamernik makes an outstanding feed from the wall to send Ness in on a mini two-on-one. Ness cuts through the right circle alone and snaps a shot over the right-handed glove of Matt Davis.
UND 2, Denver 0 — Zeev Buium 7 (Tristan Lemyre, Connor Caponi) 13:18. Denver answers less than two minutes later after sustained pressure in the offensive zone. Buium, the freshman defenseman, attempts a wraparound and throws it off the skate of UND defenseman Abram Wiebe and in the net.
UND 3, Denver 0 — Jackson Blake 16 (Jake Livanavage, Cameron Berg) 17:10 (pp). UND gets its first power-play chance in two games and it takes 17 seconds to convert. Livanavage makes a great play at the top of the zone to draw the attention, then he leaves a pass from Blake in the right circle. The UND sophomore rips a shot through a Jackson Kunz screen into the top glove-side corner of the net. Davis never sees it.
Third period
UND 3, Denver 2 — Aidan Thompson 7 (Miko Matikka, Shai Buium) 14:42. Denver gets one back when Matikka spots Thompson alone in the right circle, makes the pass and gets Thompson a look from the right circle. UND goalie Ludvig Persson gets into position, but Thompson's shot hits Persson's arm and sneaks short side.
UND 4, Denver 2 — Cameron Berg (Bennett Zmolek) 13 19:04 (en). After a Zmolek shot block, Berg carries the puck to the neutral zone and scores into an empty net.
UND 5, Denver 2 — Ben Strinden 5 (Jake Schmaltz) 19:31 (en). Strinden tacks on another empty-netter and Schmaltz's nine-game point drought ends.
UND's lines
Forwards
18 Jayden Perron—14 Cameron Berg—17 Riese Gaber
26 Dylan James—22 Owen McLaughlin—9 Jackson Blake
27 Louis Jamernik V—8 Jake Schmaltz—21 Ben Strinden
29 Jackson Kunz—11 Griffin Ness—5 Dane Montgomery
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Defensemen
7 Garrett Pyke—25 Abram Wiebe
4 Jake Livanavage—20 Keaton Pehrson
6 Logan Britt—2 Bennett Zmolek
15 Nate Benoit
Goaltenders
32 Ludvig Persson
30 Hobie Hedquist
1 Kaleb Johnson
Not in lineup: F Carson Albrecht (upper body), F Hunter Johannes (lower body), D Tanner Komzak
Denver's lines
Forwards
6 McKade Webster—13 Massimo Rizzo—4 Jack Devine
14 Rieger Lorenz—15 Carter King—18 Jared Wright
16 Tristan Broz—7 Aidan Thompson—10 Miko Matikka
12 Sam Harris—22 Connor Caponi—29 Tristan Lemyre
Defensemen
2 Sean Behrens—28 Zeev Buium
9 Boston Buckberger—8 Shai Buium
3 Cale Ashcroft—21 Kent Anderson
11 Lucas Olvestad
Goaltenders
35 Matt Davis
1 Freddie Halyk
30 Paxton Geisel
Not in lineup: D Garrett Brown (lower body), F Alex Weiermair, F Kieran Cebrian, F Peter LaJoy, G Jack Caruso
Officials
Referees — Nick Krebsbach and Brian Hankes
Linesmen — Tyler Liffrig and Kyle Stephens
Supervisor — Mike Schmitt
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Pregame notes
As expected, UND is without two forwards due to injury. Hunter Johannes is out with a lower-body injury, while Carson Albrecht is out with an upper-body injury. . . Jayden Perron remains as top-line left wing. He was moved there in the third period Saturday at St. Cloud. Meanwhile, Ben Strinden moves to Perron's old spot on the third line. Griffin Ness and Dane Montgomery are both in. . . Denver is going with the same lineup as last weekend at Omaha.
